? ? ?

Semi-automatic gunshots echo through the halls of a high-tech facility. Several armed soldiers come running around a corner, stopping momentarily to lay suppressing fire. One shouts, "Don't let him through! He can't get the jewel!"

Another shouts in terror, "Nothing's working! Fall back! Fall back!"

They retreat farther, continuing to lay a web of fire.

From around the corner, Zero walks into sight. He's cloaked in a horrible red aura of dark, and his face is a visage of rage. The orange tag usually in his ear has apparently been ripped out, leaving a chunk of his ear missing. His eyes are now bloodshot and red instead of blue. He walks in a slow and intimidating manner, not concerned about the gunfire in the slightest, as the bullets simply ricochet off his dark aura.

One soldier shouts, "What is he!? How is this possible!?"

The soldier closest to Zero yells, "Get out of here, you freak!" as he unloads all of his bullets at once.

Zero walks right at the soldier, not feeling the bullets in the slightest. He grabs the gun out of his hand, and snaps it in half. He lifts the soldier up by the shirt with one hand and says menacingly, "I'm not the one who's a freak. You are." He throws the man right into several of his comrades. Right into their bullets.

At this point, the helplessness of the situation begins to sink in for the soldiers.

Zero shouts with intense rage, "Death to all who oppose me! Chaos… Blast!" A crimson explosion of pure wrath detonates outwards from Zero. There are cries of terror and pain as the soldiers get caught up in it.

Then silence. No gunfire. No screaming. Just the methodical footsteps of Zero walking down the now destroyed hallway.

Zero looks to the side and notices something. One soldier survived with injured legs. Once he's been noticed, the soldier does his best to retreat, pulling himself with his arms in a desperate bid to stay away.

Zero comments, "It looks like I missed one." It almost sounds as if he takes pleasure in the fact. He approaches the wounded soldier.

The soldier pleads frantically, "Please, I have a family. Think about them!"

Zero clenches his fists, his rage somehow increasing. "Think about them!? Did anyone think about my family before your kind slaughtered them!? No!" Zero picks up the man's own discarded weapon and cocks it. "Take comfort in this: it won't be long until your family joins you."

Everything goes black. There's a scream, a gunshot, then, once again, dead silence.

Silver & Zero: Partners in Time

Part 3

Dreams Without Absolution

Written by Yuni Oha

Imperial Garden — ~1,000 B.E.

Silver and Zero both lie incapacitated on the floor. Both seem conscious, just trapped in their own minds. Silver stares up at thy sky above and asks, "Blaze? Why aren't you here? Why didn't you come back?"

While Zero murmurs, "Death to all who oppose me…"

Silver is the first to try to stand. "Blaze…" He stumbles but manages to fight past the memories and gets up. He slowly walks to Zero, a chore of great effort, as he fights back tears every step of the way. He falls to his knees next to Zero and shakes him. "Zero…snap out of it. I don't know what Mephiles showed you, but you have to fight it. You have to get up."

Zero's eyes snap open. They've transformed to red. But that's not all that's changed. His face shows the same fury he had in his memories. He punches Silver, sending him flying back. "My name's not Zero! I am Aleph! I am the beginning and end! I am infinity!"

Silver manages to recover from his initial shock and catches himself with psychokinesis. "Zero, what are you doing!?"

"Stop calling me that!" Zero runs at Silver, leaps at him, and readies a bone-shattering punch.

Silver is able to quickly raise a psychic barrier to block the punch, but Zero's raw strength is so much that the strain on Silver is clear. In his anger, Zero continues to punch away, each punch against the barrier creating shockwaves. Each one causing cracks to form.

Silver pleads, "Zero! Stop this! I'm your friend! I'm not going to fight you!"

"Then you will die!" One more punch and his fist sails through the barrier, connecting with Silver's face.

Silver is flung back, bouncing and skidding on the ground as he's carried away until he crashes into a cherry blossom tree.

As Silver recovers, he looks in bad shape. He's taken a serious beating. Without warning, Zero is on him again with a follow-up attack. Just in time, Silver is able to psychically catch Zero just before the punch lands.

Zero struggles to break free.

Silver shakes his head solemnly. "It's no use."

"Funny, that's exactly what I was about to say to you." The red aura flares to life around Zero. With the added power of the aura, Zero rips right out of Silver's psychic grip.

Silver is horrified. "Zero! What are you doing!? Why would you use that power after what happened last time!?"

"Last time? Last time!? There was no last time! Gregor killed them! Not me!"

Silver is stunned. "Zero… How could you say that…?"

"Stop calling me that! Zero was limited! Zero was nothing! I am Aleph!" With that outburst, he leaps forward for another attack.

Silver is raising his arms to stop him, but then lowers them. "Zero, I won't fight you."

Zero's punch lands, knocking Silver to the ground. Zero delivers another punch, and another. Between punches he demands, "Why. Won't. You. Fight. Me!?"

Silver, getting awfully banged and bruised, responds, "Because I've already lost one too many friends today."

Zero keeps pounding away, but is losing the will to continue.

As Silver loses consciousness, a firm voice announces, "Stop this at once!"

A shadowy figure leaps from nowhere. He simply stands in front of Zero, as if issuing a challenge. He's a dark-gray hedgehog with spines that jut straight back as if blown by the wind, and a slightly lighter gray patch of fur on his chest. Beneath his eyes, his face is covered by a black cloth mask. He wears a black belt as well as black straps across his chest. The straps hold two swords on his back. His shoes are black boots with a separation between the big toe and the others.

He says stoically, "I am Shino the Hedgehog of the Shinobi Clan. Surrender at once. There will not be a second warning."

Zero rushes at the new hedgehog, ignoring his words entirely.

"So be it." Just as Zero is about to land a punch, Shino swipes an arm to the side, redirecting Zero's momentum.

Zero stumbles for several feet, snarls angrily, and makes another attack run.

This time Shino ducks down beneath the punch, then delivers a palm-heel strike straight to Zero's chest. This momentarily stuns Zero. Shino uses this time to deliver an uppercut, flinging Zero straight up. As he falls, Shino unsheathes his swords and strikes Zero with the back of one of the hilts.

Brandishing his swords, Shino asks, "Are you prepared to surrender yet?"

Zero gets up. "You are skilled, but none are more powerful than me."

At this point, Silver has begun to regain consciousness. He reaches out a hand and begs, "Please, don't hurt him. He's my friend…" That's all Silver has the strength to say.

Shino takes note of this, but it doesn't seem to change his plans. He rushes in for an attack on Zero with his blades.

Zero is ready and swings a powerful punch, but Shino takes a sharp turn, dragging one of his blades through the snow as he does so. He leaps at Zero from another angle, but once again Zero swings, and once again Shino dodges. This happens several more times.

Zero shouts angrily, "Stop running and fight me!"

Shino pulls down his mask so Zero can see him grin. "Just because you've failed to grasp my movements, doesn't mean I wasn't fighting." He points to Zero's feet.

Zero looks down to see that Shino has carved out an intricate pattern in the snow around him with his blades. Zero doesn't know what to make of this.

Shino holds a hand in front of his face with two fingers up and shouts, "Ninjitsu Arts: Shadow Sealing!" He slams his other hand into the ground. Shadowy tendrils erupt out of the ground around Zero and wrap around him, binding him in place.

Zero pulls with all his might at the restraints, but they have little give. He shouts in rage, "You can't hold me forever!"

Shino cracks another grin. "I don't need to hold you forever. Only enough for you to pass out." He flicks a small, round pellet to Zero's feet. A second later and smoke gushes out. Breathing in the smoke causes Zero to quickly lose consciousness and collapse.

—–—

? ? ?

"Zero, I know you want revenge, but is this really the way?" Uni the Hedgehog asks Zero.

The alternate version of Zero looks to Uni and asks angrily, "Are you doubting me, One? You told me that you wanted revenge against the humans as well."

"I did…but when I said that I meant the ones who wronged us. This war you're declaring…it's something else entirely. You're my friend, my brother, I want to support you, but I don't know if I can."

Zero beckons around. The two of them stand in the ruined lab of Gregor. "Look around you, One. This is where they killed Nine. This where they killed so many others of our kind. This is where we were held prisoner and tortured. Humanity is a disease. A disease that needs to be eradicated once and for all. I am the cure. Once I find that last Emerald, ultimate power will be mine. The humans will pay for everything they've done to wrong us. You're lucky you survived the explosion. Don't waste the opportunity."

Uni sighs, not seeming completely convinced. "Yeah…sure, Zero…"

"No."

"No what?"

"Don't call me Zero. That's not my name any longer. It never was. Zero was limited. Zero was nothing. I am everything. I am unlimited. I am infinity. I am… Aleph."

—–—

Zero—no, Aleph—walks forward slowly, as if to purposefully intimidate those opposing him. Those opposing him being a literal army.

A commander shouts, "Open fire! Give him everything you've got!"

All at once, bullets, grenades, artillery fire, and missiles are all launched at Aleph, quickly whipping up an obscuring cloud of smoke and dust. The onslaught continues for nearly a minute.

One soldier asks, "Did we get him?"

Another says, "We had to have! Nothing could survive that barrage."

Everyone focuses in on the smoke. One brave soldier approaches the cloud for a better look. An arm suddenly reaches out and pulls the soldier in. A second later and there's a snapping sound.

From the smoke flies Aleph, though he now glows an intense orange-gold and his spines point upwards. The seven Chaos Emeralds orbit around him. But something is wrong. The Emeralds tremble as Aleph's coloration grows darker and darker, reaching a radiating shade of blue almost indistinguishable from black. The red and yellow of his eyes glow even harsher.

After the moment it takes for reality to sink in, the army launches another barrage, but nothing can hurt Aleph in his twisted Super Form.

He announces, "Despicable humans! The time of reckoning is at hand! You imbued in me the powers of a god, and now I ascend! You will pay for your sins!"

While he makes his proclamation, a tank fires a large artillery shell at him from the side. Without even turning to see it, Aleph catches the shell with one hand, then throws it back with even greater force. The tank explodes, destroying it and everything around it.

With that, Aleph begins a rampage of destruction. He dashes down, plowing through the ranks of soldiers and war machines. There are screams of both terror and pain. Aleph does not relent. Within mere moments, he has decimated the army. What few remain begin to flee, but Aleph allows them no escape, hunting them down as well.

The commander, gravely wounded, says into a radio, "Activate the zero-chance protocol! I repeat! Zero-chance protocol!"

The radio is swiped from his hands and crushed by Aleph. He demands in rage, "Did you call me Zero!? I am not Zero!" Aleph was angry and unhinged before, but this is different. He's become even less stable, somehow.

Before he can attack the commander, he looks up to see a streak of light flying across the sky. Flying towards him. Aleph suddenly laughs. "This is your last-ditch attempt to stop me? You'll die too."

The commander spits at Aleph's feet. "At least I'll have the pleasure of taking you out with me."

"You dare talk that way to a god!?" He prepares to strike the man but decides against it. Instead, he flies up, as the missile he saw earlier flies in towards him. He plucks the missile right out of the sky and uses his tremendous strength to throw it.

The commander is utterly mortified. The new target is the nearby city. The missile impacts a skyscraper and explodes in a blindingly bright flash of searing white light. Seconds later, there's a boom that feels as if it could rip the earth apart. A towering mushroom cloud is now left where the city center once was.

The commander shouts at Aleph in fury, "There were millions of innocent civilians in that city! How could you do that!?"

Aleph turns back to the commander. "No human is innocent. Your entire race is guilty, so has judged your god." Without another word, Aleph zooms away, leaving a sonic boom behind him.

For some reason he has left the commander alive. The commander has just enough time to ponder why before the shockwave of the explosion reaches him, then he ponders no more.

—–—

From an orbital view, several astronauts aboard a space station watch in horror as the planet beneath is engulfed in a series of violent red explosions large enough to be seen from space. The blast radii are hundreds of miles across and reach high into the atmosphere, much larger than any human-made bomb could ever produce.

Over the radio, they hear many things.

"We didn't detect any missiles! How could an entire city just explode!?"

"The capitol! It's gone!"

"It's some kind of creature doing this!"

"I just lost contact with the entire Eastern Seaboard!

"It's here! We'll never evacuate the–!"

"What kind of power is this!?"

"The president…no, the entire line of succession, is dead…"

"The end of days is here!"

"We surrender! We surrender! We–!"

"Oh my god… He just sunk the entire continent…"

"Is there anyone out there!? Help us! Please!"

"Repent you and will be saved! Worship Him! For he is our new—!"

"Why…? Why is this happening…?"

"Is anyone out there? Anyone!? Am I all that's—"

One of the astronauts places her hand against the glass, reaching out for her home beneath her. The red light that now covers much of the planet's surface reflects in her teary eyes. "What kind of monster could do this…?"

She and the others leap back when Dark Aleph suddenly appears in front of the window. "The last humans. Don't think I forgot about you." He becomes engulfed by an even stronger version of the crimson aura.

Before the astronauts even have a chance to scream, everything is consumed by a harsh red light. Everything is gone.

—–—

Hidden Shinobi Village - ~1,000 B.E.

Zero wakes up screaming. Silver rushes to his side. "Zero! It's okay! You're safe! Please! Calm down!"

Zero is dazed and confused. His eyes are no longer red. "Silver…" He pants heavily as he looks at his hands with terror. "I killed them, Silver… I killed all of them…"

"Zero, what do you mean? Who did you kill? What did Mephiles show you?"

"It was, it was, it was a world where I-I-I-I killed Nina, and Gregor, and…"

"You mean like your nightmare?"

"Yes…like my nightmare… Killing them…sent me spiraling out of control. I went mad. Insane. I killed each and every last human."

Silver grabs Zero's hands and emphasizes, "You didn't kill them, Zero."

"I did. I remember every moment vividly. I did it, Silver. My hands are soaked with the blood of ten billion innocent lives."

"Please, Zero, you have to understand. Mephiles has the ability to manipulate time. He gave you the memories of an erased timeline. He did the same to me. It was a way to incapacitate us. You have to fight those memories, they're not you."

Zero suddenly shouts angrily, "But they are! Those memories are no different to me than any of my own! I'm at war with myself, Silver!" He breaks down sobbing. "Even right now, I don't know if I want to protect humans or slaughter them all!"

"You just have to sort through what's what. You have to keep track of what's real."

Zero looks up to Silver and shouts angrily, "I don't know what's real anymore!" Suddenly his eyes contract as he realizes some horrid fact. "No! No!"

"Zero, what is it!?"

"Stay away from me! Stay away!" Zero gets up off the cot he was sitting on, pushes Silver away, and runs out the door.

"Zero…"

Standing off to the side was an animoid owl and dragon. The owl's feathers give her the appearance of a black and gray barn owl. Her most striking features are her sharp beak and large, round, black eyes. Above her eyes are feather crests like that of a great horned owl. Her arms are brilliant wings. She wears a sleeveless, black, form-fitting suit, a shozoku. Covering her feet are simple black cloth slippers.

The dragon has dark green scales with a slim and long body, like a serpent with powerful arms and legs. His head is almost entirely composed of his oversized square jaw with huge teeth. He has a long whisker on either side of his nose, frills along the back of his head, and spines going down his back. He wears a long black scarf around his neck, black gloves, and oriental platform sandals.

The owl says, "Ryu, we have to make sure he's okay."

The dragon, Ryu, agrees, "Let's get him, Nocta." They run out, leaving Silver alone.

Or at least, mostly alone. Shino is suddenly in the room. He comments, "I heard everything. Seems like you two have gone through a lot. I sense that neither of you truly know who you are anymore."

Silver sighs. "You don't know the half of it…"

"I think I know more than you might think. I recognize your friend's power. He's a Hogo-sha, is he not?"

"A who-go wha?"

"Perhaps the term 'Controller' is more familiar?"

Silver understands. "Yes. Controller. Zero's a Controller. I'm a Controller. The ones chosen to bring light to the dark, to defeat evil and maintain balance."

Shino nods. "Both of you. Fascinating. I, too, am a Controller. Only a few months ago, I put an end to a long and bloody war, a war that lasted three generations. I was victorious, and yet I feel more lost than ever. I was born and raised in war. It was my destiny and sole purpose to end it. Now that it's over, I don't know who I am."

Silver looks at his hand. "In another time, in another place, I was also born into darkness. I fought my entire life to end it, and I did. But I never had to live with myself after, because time itself was rewritten. I couldn't remember everything I had went through. Everything—no, everyone—I had lost. But now I do. Now I'm lost."

Shino looks to Silver contemplatively. "I believe we are kindred spirits. I feel the bond of the Hogo-sha between us. You and I are much alike."

"Perhaps so…"

"And what of your friend?"

"I wish I knew. He was always so positive, for the most part at least. Whatever Mephiles showed him really has him spooked. I wish he would listen to me." Silver clenches a fist. "But why would he listen to me? I wouldn't even listen to me. Blaze is as real to me now as she was when fought together in Crisis City. And now she's gone… She's worse than gone, she never existed…"

Shino stares at Silver, unable to offer any further words of advice or comfort. "I will talk to your friend. I think there is something I could teach him which might help."

Silver nods. "Anything. Please help him."

Shino suddenly glances in the direction of the door, detecting something that Silver can't. "I must depart." Without another word, he throws a smoke pellet to the floor, obscuring himself. When the smoke clears a second later, he's gone.

At the same moment, Nocta and Ryu rush back into the room, Nocta shouting, "Master Shino!" They seem disappointed to see he's not there.

—–—

Zero has just run outside. He looks around and finds himself in a small village hidden in the woods. The buildings are small, low to the ground, and painted colors of the forest to camouflage them.

Nocta and Ryu chase out after him. The dragon shouts with a gruff voice, "Hey, Hedgehog! I hear you're a strong one. Care to test that?" He punches a fist into his open palm and spits some smoke through his nostrils.

Nocta jabs him in the side. "Ryu, he's obviously in a distressed state, you'll only make things worse."

"How do you know that? Maybe a good pummeling is what he needs."

Zero ignores them and runs right past.

Ryu shouts, "I get it! You're afraid of sparring with me!"

Nocta jabs him in the side again.

"Ouch!"

But instead of chasing Zero, Ryu and Nocta suddenly look to each other in surprise. They shout simultaneously, "I sense him!" They forget about Zero and run for the hut he came out from.

Zero runs into the woods, collapses under a tree and starts to sob. "How…? How could that be me…?"

In his head, a twisted version of his own voice tells him, Just one day. One horrible day. That's how.

"Get out of my head!" Zero claws at his forehead as if to pull the voice out.

"There is darkness within you."

Zero looks up to see that Shino has silently appeared in front of him. "Stay away from me. No one should come near me."

Shino ignores him. "I am Shino the Hedgehog. I am the Controller of this time."

This gets Zero's attention.

Shino repeats, "There is darkness within you."

"Obviously I know that!" Zero shouts with sudden rage as he stands up and pushes into Shino's face. He quickly realizes his mistake and pulls back. Shino never flinched.

"I don't mean the phantom memories you fight with. Even before them, the darkness was there. Your memories of a different life is simply you using the darkness—the darkness that was already present—for evil."

Zero scowls at Shino. "Is that your way of trying to say that really is me?"

"No. Not at all. It is simply an observation of fact. Here's another fact. There is nothing wrong with having darkness within you. I have darkness within me. It fuels me, powers me, allowed me to fight a hopeless war."

Zero suddenly readies himself for a fight. "Are you saying you're evil? But you said you were a Controller!"

Shino shakes his head. "You're not listening to me. I said I had darkness, not that I was evil. I said that your other life was you using your darkness for evil. Darkness and evil are not one and the same."

Zero looks at Shino skeptically. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I put it in simple terms. Darkness is not evil, just as light is not good. Perhaps an example will serve you. Think of a man who dedicates his life to saving people's lives. This is an obvious act of light, yes?"

"Sure."

"But let's say that same man is saving lives so that he makes himself appear as a hero in the eyes of the public and will one day ultimately abuse and betray that trust. An act of evil, yes?"

"Yeah…"

"So, an act of light can be used for evil purposes. Likewise, consider a man who is willing to kill with no regret. An act of darkness. But suppose that man specifically targets the worst of criminals who have otherwise escaped justice. An act of good."

Zero nods as he contemplates this. "An act of darkness being used for a good purpose."

Shino nods. "Yes. Light can be destructive, and darkness can be gentle. We assume that we need to shun the darkness, but that is simply not true. As a Controller, it is not our purpose to destroy darkness, it is to find a balance. To someone who has learned to control it and not be controlled by it, the darkness is simply another tool, no different from my swords or shuriken." Shino draws one sword to emphasize his point. As he stares at it, he explains, "Throughout my life, I have done many things I regret. I have committed countless acts of darkness. But all of that was in the name of putting an end to a war that killed thousands. In the name of freeing the people from an evil dictator who would have continued to rule unopposed otherwise. I have embraced my inner darkness and honed it into a tool more useful than the sharpest of blades." He re-sheathes his sword.

There are several moments of silence. Then Zero asks, "Is it possible to learn how to control my darkness?"

Shino nods. "It is, and I shall teach you."

—–—

Ryu asks urgently, "Hedgehog, did you see Master Shino?"

Silver is surprised by their sudden entry. "Yeah…he was just here a second ago."

Nocta shakes her head in disbelief. "I should have known he would come back. We should have waited for him."

Ryu points out, "He never would have shown up in the first place if we were waiting in here."

"I suppose…" She sounds disappointed.

Silver asks, "What's going on?"

Nocta apologizes. "Sorry. My name is Nocta, and this is Ryu. We are elite ninja of the Shinobi Clan. Shino, the hedgehog who stopped your friend, is our master. He delivered you here to our care. At least, that's what we must assume, as we never saw him."

Silver asks, "You never saw him? He just dropped us here and left?"

Ryu nods. "He'd prefer we'd never even know he was here, but in this case it was obvious."

"If you're his students, why wouldn't he want you to know he was here?"

Nocta sighs. "Things have been…different since the war ended. Master Shino thought he needed to separate from us. Now he's on a solitary mission and refuses our help."

"That sounds lonely." He sighs. "And I should know…"

Nocta suggests, "Do not worry yourself with our problems. You took an extreme beating, you need rest. Go to sleep. We'll keep an eye out for your friend."

Silver nods. "Thank you."

—–—

Zero and Shino sit across from each other in a cross-legged meditative pose. Between them, the purple Chaos Emerald sits. Shino instructs, "Focus on the Sacred Stone. Nothing else matters. Just you and the stone."

Zero, with his eyes still closed, asks, "But how am I supposed to focus on it without looking at it?"

"Don't focus on the image, focus on the energy. I know you can feel it. That energy is the essence of our world. Take a deep breath in." Zero breathes in through his nose. "And out." He exhales through his mouth. "Continue this as you feel the flow of energy. Focus. The Sacred Stone is the only thing that has your attention. The only thing that matters."

Zero continues his deep breathing. The emerald sitting in front of him begins to increase in vibrancy. It pulsates, synchronizing to Zero's breath.

Zero slips into a trance-like state. He finds himself floating in an infinite void. The void itself is made of white and black energies. The two seem to be at war with each other, and the black is winning. Zero asks, "What is this?"

Shino's voice answers, "This is the Flow of Chaos. This is your inner balance. What you see now is the two fundamental aspects of yourself. The light, and the dark. These two sides are in conflict. You attempt to suppress your darkness with your light, but that only causes the darkness to fight back, making it even more dangerous. Once you can learn to accept the darkness as the fundamental part of you that it is, it will serve you, instead of the other way around."

"But how? How can I accept what is so clearly wrong?" As Zero asks this, images of the horrors committed by Aleph flash all around him, each one adding to the darkness.

"Remember, the darkness did not cause the evil. The evil simply used the darkness. Accepting the darkness is not the same as accepting the evil. Now it is your turn to use the darkness, this time for good."

"What do I do?"

"Envision a tool in your hand. A sword. Imagine the darkness is a sword in your hand. This sword is not a weapon built for indiscriminate killing; it is an artfully crafted blade made for use against those who need to be destroyed. It is an object of good, made of darkness."

Zero takes a deep breath and closes his eyes again. When he reopens them, he finds a sword, similar to Shino's, has appeared in his hand. The sword is pitch-black, and is absorbing the darkness from around Zero. "I did it."

"Very good. Now take this sword and use it to destroy the evil that rests in your heart. Banish it from your soul."

Zero spots another memory of Aleph manifesting and swings the sword at it, but stops just an inch short of a figure that appears in front of him. It's Nina, with the same terrified expression she wore after witnessing Zero use Chaos Blast against Gregor in the original timeline.

Zero's blade freezes just an inch from her still face.

Sensing something is amiss, Shino asks, "What's wrong, Zero?"

"I can't do it. I just can't. If this is how Nina looks at me when I use the darkness, how could I willingly wield it? It's the same power that killed her and Gregor in the other timeline. I can't do it." He drops the blade.

The darkness in the void further overtakes the light. Nina's frozen figure turns into a reflection of Zero. Or rather, Aleph. It taunts him, "You are weak. You are nothing. You are zero."

Zero is yanked from his vision, returning to the physical world, panting heavily with exertion. Zero looks up to Shino. "I'm sorry. I was too weak."

Shino shakes his head. "No. Your reasons were noble. Your intentions good. Some simply aren't cut out to wield the darkness. But still, remember the meditation. It will help hone your focus and stop you from being completely overcome."

Zero nods. "I will."

Shino retrieves the Chaos Emerald.

"You don't happen to have another one of those lying around somewhere, do you? It would be helpful getting us out of this time."

Shino shakes his head. "Unfortunately, in my months of searching since the demise of Kamitatsu, this is all I have found." He stops to ponder something. "But, if you seek to escape this time, I may have another–" He suddenly pauses.

"What? What is it?"

"Something is not right. I sense…danger! Quickly, follow me!" He runs into the woods, and Zero follows.

—–—

Silver lies awake on the cot Zero was on earlier, staring up at the ceiling, not moving an inch.

There's a loud slam as Ryu bursts in and shouts, "Alright, Hedgehog! It's time you got up!"

Nocta shouts, "Ryu! What are you doing!?"

"This hedgehog can't just lie here forever! No way."

Nocta looks to Silver with concern. "I'm sorry, did my rude friend awaken you?"

Silver shakes his head. "No. I simply lie awake, and I find no conclusion. I wasn't able to sleep."

Nocta sits cross-legged next to Silver. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Silver sighs. "In another life, I would only dream of an absolution. Now that I realize I found that absolution, I dream of damnation instead." He sits up.

Ryu demands, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

Nocta glares at him, but Ryu doesn't seem to care.

Silver explains, "I used to live a different life. A life where I lived in a world of darkness. But even in the darkest of times, there was the brightest of lights. I had a friend. A best friend. She meant the world to me. When I was with her, I felt like a whole different person. I felt more confident. Like I could do anything. Together she and I traveled through time to save our world. Along the way she sacrificed herself. But it didn't matter. We changed time and saved my world, just like we promised. I then lived in a paradise, completely ignorant of the forsaken world of fire I lived in. But also completely ignorant of my friend. Of Blaze…" Silver takes a deep breath. "When I defeated Solaris and changed history, it was supposed to bring her back. It did the opposite. It made it so she never existed. And now that I've been cursed with these memories, I know that I have lived a life missing her entirely without even knowing she existed. I suppose I always knew something was missing. That something in my life seemed off. But I never could have imagined what it was."

Nocta suggests, "Are you sure she doesn't exist? Maybe you just haven't met her in this new time yet."

Silver shakes his head. "No. Maybe that's the worst part. Back before I knew who she was, what she meant to me, I was told that she no longer existed, but since I didn't comprehend the impact she had on my life, I didn't think too much about it. Now I'm cursed to know."

"Okay, you call those memories a curse, but is that really true? It sounds like a blessing to me, otherwise you never would have known your friend."

Silver puts his hands to his face as he shakes his head. "I wish I knew… Yes, I want to know her…but ignorance was also bliss… I feel nothing but pain and loss now…"

Ryu suddenly shouts, "Get over it!"

Nocta, sounding offended, shouts, "Ryu!"

Ryu shakes his head. "No. The hedgehog needs to hear this, and apparently I'm the only one willing to say it!" He looks to Silver, who is looking at him with shock. "You think you're the only person who lost someone!? Our clan just concluded a hundred-year long war! You're not the only one who has suffered loss!"

Silver objects, "But–"

"No! It's not any different. In fact, you're supposed to honor the memory of your fallen comrades! The fact that you think you were better off not knowing your friend is disgusting! You are disgusting!" He turns away and stomps out.

Nocta immediately apologizes, "I'm so sorry. That's not what you needed to hear now."

Silver takes a deep breath. "No. I think it might have been."

"Ryu…he's had a harder life than most of us. When he was young, his father was executed. Not much later, his mother died in battle. And when Ryu first entered the battlefield himself, his best friend was slain right next to him."

Silver nods, realizing his mistakes. "I made it sound like my loss was worse than his…"

"They're completely different."

Silver shakes his head. "No. Ryu was right about that. It's no different. We've both lost people who mean a lot to us in the pursuit of saving the world." He gets up.

"Where are you going?"

Silver breathes deeply. "To talk to Ryu." He leaves without another word.

—–—

Silver finds Ryu resting beneath a cherry blossom tree in the middle of the village. Pretty pink petals fly in the breeze. Ryu crosses his arms. "What? Come to apologize? Let me guess, Nocta told you my sob story. She's really got to learn to respect people's privacy."

Silver sits next to him. "She told me because she knew it would help me understand you. And now I do."

Ryu rolls his eyes. "Let me guess. Now that you understand me, you realize that we're not so different, and you regret everything you said."

Silver is caught off-guard. "Well…um…yeah."

Ryu shakes his head. "Life's not that simple. Understanding someone doesn't automatically make up for past errors."

"I never claimed it did. But still, I'm sorry for how I acted in there."

"No, you're not."

"Excuse me?"

"You can't be sorry because that's still how you feel. Everything you're saying right now is a platitude. Because it makes you feel better about yourself. So long as you still feel the same, your words are meaningless."

"Okay then, what about your words?"

Now it's Ryu's turn to be caught off-guard. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I won't say anything. Just tell me about your friend. I'll listen."

Ryu is, for once, speechless. He stares at Silver for several moments. "His name was Tora the Tiger." Ryu stops for a deep breath. "After my parents were gone, his family took me in. We were raised like brothers. Together we dreamed of joining the rest of the shinobi clan in the war against Kamitatsu. We dreamed of making a difference. The cold hard reality was that he never even got the chance to make a difference. The very first mission we went on, one of Kamitatsu's generals killed him. Right in front of me." Ryu clenches a fist. "I had never felt so powerless in my life, even as I watched my father be executed. I was right there, and I couldn't do anything to save him. I swore that day I would become so powerful that I would never feel so helpless again. I fought past the biases against me, and I made myself the best candidate to be Master Shino's student. Now I am strong." He pauses. "Aside from Nocta and Master Shino, I've never told anyone that story."

Silver suggests, "Nobody's asked."

Ryu nods. "I suppose so." He pauses. "And what about Blaze? Who was she to you?"

Silver readies himself with a deep breath. "She was everything to me. In the hellish world I lived in, I had nobody. I didn't live, I survived. And just barely. I had always dreamed of using my power to save my world, a world where everyone else had given up, but I never had the courage to do anything. Then I met Blaze. Together we fought back against Iblis, together we were able to actually defeat his minions. Being with Blaze gave me courage. It gave me hope. Together we became the first two in much too long of a time to actually oppose Iblis. We would battle him, drive him back, and he would return. It was an endless cycle, but at least it felt like we were doing something. She would call me naïve. I called it optimism. It was the strength she granted me that in the end allowed me to fight a foe far greater than Iblis and change the course of history."

Ryu nods. "So, we are much same. We both had a friend who made us who we are today."

Silver questions, "But is that the case with me? Can I really be who I am today because of Blaze, even if I didn't even know she existed for most of my life?"

Ryu ponders this. "I don't know much about stuff like this, but it strikes me that perhaps this version of you is who you are because you had Blaze in your previous life. After all, you only made it to this new life because you had Blaze to help you through the old one. So, in a way, she was always with you."

Silver looks to Ryu with surprise. "That's…"

Ryu grins. "Pretty deep, huh?"

"Impressively so."

Then someone shouts, "So, this is the famed Hidden Village of the Shinobi Clan?"

Ryu's eyes widen. "That voice… No…" He leaps up and turns to see an army marching into the village. The army consists of phantasmal entities formed from shadows wearing white and black samurai armor. In their center is a yellow animoid in red and gold scaled armor. While it looks like samurai armor, the animoid is a pangolin, and the armor is a part of his body. He carries an oversized katana sword on his hip. "Ronin…"

Nocta flies down from above and lands next to Ryu. "How is this possible? How did he find the village?"

Ronin the Pangolin announces, "Cowardly shinobi! Your better has arrived. Surrender now or you will all be swiftly dealt with."

Nocta shouts defiantly, "Ronin, your master is long gone! What are you doing here?"

"The great Kamitatsu may be gone, but his mission lives on! Peace will be brought to this pathetic and undeserving world!"

"Peace!? How does someone who calls themselves a warlord speak of peace!?"

Silver asks, "Who is this guy?"

Nocta explains, "He was one of Kamitatsu's generals. After his master's demise, he seized what power he could and declared himself a warlord. During the war, he…"

Ryu picks up, "He's the one who killed Tora." After this simple statement, Ryu releases all his rage with a single powerful shout. "Aaaaaaaah!" He runs into the army headlong, smashing aside samurai phantom soldiers on his way to Ronin. They try to stop him, but Ryu just forces them out of the way with brute strength. He makes it to Ronin and grabs him by his neck. "You took everything I had!"

Ronin doesn't seem concerned. "Who are you?"

This only makes Ryu shout louder. He throws a powerful punch at Ronin's face, but Ronin stops the punch with one raised hand. With his other, he throws a punch of his own at Ryu, forcing Ryu to drop him.

Ronin shouts, "Level the village!" His army marches.

Nocta shouts, "We can't let this happen! Innocent refuges live here!" She flies up and throws a cascade of sharpened quills from her wing at some of the marching phantoms. Most of the quills bounce off of armor, but the ones that don't hit armor cause the phantoms to dissipate into nothing.

Silver jumps into the fight as well. He picks up several nearby boulders with psychokinesis. They orbit around him momentarily, until he throws them as projectiles at incoming phantoms.

Ryu throws another powerful punch at Ronin, but Ronin uses his armored tail to block it. Ryu follows the attack up by breathing fire at him, but Ronin swivels around and allows the armor plating going down his back to protect himself.

As Ronin swivels back around, he begins to draw his giant sword from its hilt. As he does so, he strikes Ryu with the hilt, knocking him back. Sword now readied, Ronin announces, "Your power is impressive, but your style lacks the honor of a samurai. You cannot defeat me, ninja." He sneers the last word as an insult.

Ryu growls at him. "Honor!? You slaughter innocents!"

"No one is innocent if they stand in the way of peace." Ronin swipes his blade up at Ryu.

Ryu claps his hands on either side of the sword, stopping it in place. Both struggle to get the upper hand over the other, both showing immense strength.

For Silver and Nocta, the battle isn't going so well. The phantom samurai go down easily, but for each one defeated, ten more take its place. It's only a matter of time before they're overwhelmed and the phantoms break their line.

Nocta shouts, "We can't keep this up! There's too many of them!"

As he throws one phantom into another, Silver shouts, "We have to try! We can't give up!" He adds under his breath, "That's what Blaze would have said…"

Two phantom samurai have snuck up on Silver and prepare to bring their blades down on him.

Nocta shouts, "Silver, look out!"

Just before the phantoms can finish their attack, a green blur comes in and knocks them away.

Silver gasps. "Could it be?"

As the shadow mist of the dissipating phantoms clears, Zero is revealed.

Meanwhile, Ryu is struggling. Ronin's leverage on the blade is greater, and he breaks Ryu's grip. He swipes the sword up and prepares to bring it back down on Ryu.

But before he can, two smaller blades block it. Ryu gasps. "It can't be… Master Shino!"

Ronin practically spits, "Shino the Hedgehog."

Shino holds Ronin's blade back with his two own. "I've been hunting for you and your kind for weeks. What makes you think it wise to come to my home?"

"Ah, but this is no longer your home. You abandoned it."

Shino grimaces, but doesn't relent. He musters up the strength to push his blades, forcing Ronin back. "I left, but it never stopped being my home."

Silver floats quickly to Zero. "Zero!"

Zero looks to Silver with horror. "No! You have to stay away from me!"

Silver grabs Zero's arm before he can run. "No, I will stand by your side, even in the darkest times, just like Blaze did for me!"

Zero looks Silver in the eyes and pleads, "Silver, please. You can't be near me. You can't."

"And why not? I'm your friend. You won't hurt me. I know it. I feel it."

With sudden rage, Zero shouts, "You're wrong!"

Silver steps back in fear of Zero's anger at first, but then steps forward again. "Why!? Why am I wrong!?"

"Because I kill everyone! Even my friends!"

"What!?"

"I killed him, Silver!" Zero breaks down crying. "I killed him! I killed Uni!"

"What do you mean!?"

—–—

? ? ?

Dark Aleph floats through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, admiring his work. Gray clouds block the sky. What could be either snow or ash, perhaps both, falls from above.

Aleph floats towards Uni, who sits kneeling on the floor, looking towards the ruined city in the distance. He says something under his breath.

Aleph asks, "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"What have you done…?"

"What have I done? I've made this world a better place. I eliminated the scourge of the human and obtained the true power I was created for."

Uni suddenly gets up and shouts at Aleph, "Are you happy with yourself!? All this destruction! This is what you wanted!?"

"No, I'm not. I'm not done yet." He pulls out a Temporal Sapphire. "I found this gem that controls time. It called to me. With it and the others like it, time itself will become mine. I will destroy not only all humans in this time, but all the humans in all times!" He laughs like a maniac.

Uni shakes his head in disbelief. "Zero…"

"No, Aleph!"

Uni shouts, "No! Zero! Your name is Zero! You have to stop this! You've already committed genocide! You can't keep this going! Please, Zero, stop! Stop all of this!"

Aleph is not amused. "One, are you forgetting Nine?"

"Nine wouldn't have wanted this! You killed innocents!"

"No humans are innocent! All humans must die! Die!" He's practically throwing a tantrum. "Anyone who would disagree must die!" In a flash, Aleph appears in front of Uni, and Uni's neck snaps in his hand. As the lifeless body drops to the ground, his eyes staring judgmentally at Aleph, he shouts, "You did this! This is your fault! You turned against me!" Uni still stares at him, judging silently and for all eternity. "You have no right to look upon a god like that!" He screams into the sky in rage.

—–—

Recalling this memory only causes Zero to scream in the same way.

Silver is concerned. "Zero…" He steps up and grabs Zero by the shoulders and shakes him. "That wasn't you, Zero! I trust you! You won't do that to me! I know it! Now let's work together and stop these monsters!"

Zero takes several deep breaths to regain control. "Okay. Let's do it."

Silver and Zero find themselves back-to-back, surrounded by the phantom soldiers. Silver asks, "How about we take them for a spin?"

Zero nods. "I'm on it."

Silver psychically lifts Zero and flings him around in a circle, allowing Zero to saw through rows of phantoms. Then Silver flings Zero at one large group of them that were attacking Nocta. This destroys them all. Nocta nods in thanks at Zero, and he nods back.

Shino and Ronin continue their duel. Shino makes a series of swift and rapid strikes, while Ronin blocks them with slower, more powerful movements of his sword.

Ronin glances towards Ryu, who stands watching him, looking uncertain of his next move. "What's the matter, dragon? I thought you had a score to settle with me. Letting your master do it instead? Do you not care about your fallen friend?"

Shino shouts in warning, "Ryu, don't!"

But it's too late. Ryu fell for Ronin's taunt and runs in to tackle him.

Ronin pivots his blade from Shino to Ryu. Ryu is too committed to avoid the blade. His eyes widen as he realizes he's played right into Ronin's hands. It looks like he has no hope of avoiding the blade until Shino tackles him from the side, pushing him out of the way and taking the sword to his back.

Nocta shouts, "Master Shino!" She flies at him.

Ryu demands, "Master Shino, why did you do that!?"

Shino, weakened by the attack, looks up at them. "Because you are my student, and more importantly my friend. I left you alone because I was afraid of what I might become once the war ended. I set off to hunt down the warlords so that the war wouldn't have to end for me yet. I was wrong to leave my friends. I should not have been afraid of the darkness within me. I should have trusted that I could stay with you. I am sorry, I have failed you as a master and a friend."

Ryu shakes his head. "No way! You just saved my life! That's no failure!

Ronin slowly walks towards them. "Isn't that just precious. The bonds between teacher and students. I'll be sure to cut those bonds as well." He raises his blade.

Ryu and Nocta adopt ready stances, prepared to fight him.

Meanwhile, Silver and Zero are getting overwhelmed by the numbers, especially now that Nocta has left. Silver shouts, "There's too many of them!" He attacks with a psychic shockwave to blast three phantoms away.

Zero shouts, "We have to keep on fighting! Protect the village!" He punches straight through two phantoms. But then three more tackle him, forcing him to the ground.

Silver cries, "Zero!"

Zero throws the phantoms off him, but as he stands up, his eyes have turned red, and a crimson aura begins to form around him. "Death to all!"

"Zero, don't do this again! Come back to me!"

Zero looks to him, his eyes momentarily turning back to blue. "Silver…I can't…control him…" His eyes flash back and forth as he fights with himself. Meanwhile, the phantoms surround him, preparing for another attack.

Ronin is now right in front of the three ninja, his blade raised overhead, ready to strike. "It's worthless, I've been trained specifically to defeat ninja by none other than Lord Kamitatsu himself. If your master couldn't defeat me, you two have no chance."

Shino declares, "I'd say they do, but we don't need to test that today. Zero! Remember our training! The darkness is a tool! A weapon!" He throws his Chaos Emerald to Zero, who somehow manages to catch it, even in his frenzied state.

"No, I can't!" He looks to the emerald with fear.

Silver forces several phantoms away and asserts, "Yes you can! You can do it!"

"But…if I use the darkness, I'll destroy everything!"

Silver takes Zero by the hand not holding the emerald. "I'm here with you, friend. If you're using the darkness, then I'll be the light. You be the sword; I'll be the shield."

Zero stares at Silver for several moments, then nods. He closes his eyes briefly as he takes a deep breath. The red aura surrounds him once more, but this time it doesn't look as violent. It's calm and ordered instead.

Ronin demands, "What's this!?"

"Chaos…Blast!"

Silver teleport dashes to Shino, Nocta, and Ryu, where he creates a psychic forcefield.

A powerful crimson explosion rips its way out from Zero. It leaves pure destruction in its wake, instantly destroying any phantom that crosses its path, as well as ripping up the ground. Many of the closer huts are destroyed.

Seeing the incoming explosion, Ronin drops his sword and curls into a ball, so that his armor protects him. He's flung away by the blast. Silver's barrier manages to protect him and the others.

Zero stands at ground zero, shaking violently, his eyes red.

Silver rushes to him. "Zero! You did it! You destroyed them all and got rid of Ronin! Zero!"

—–—

? ? ?

Chronos floats alone in the Timestream. Though his true form is incomprehensible, his current appearance is a monstrous creature seemingly made out of wood. One of his broad shoulders is a bright red orange with spikes projecting around it, forming a sun, while the other is a light gray in the shape of a crescent, forming the moon. The top of his head is flat, featuring what might be a sundial. From his back are tattered butterfly-like wings. On his front is what looks like a clock, including a circle of notches and two hands.

Chronos shakes his head in disappointment as he watches a scene projected in front of him. He watches as Super Aleph travels throughout time, killing anything that moves and gathering the Temporal Sapphires. "That one had so much potential. In another timeline, he is so much more. But now he lives in a dead timeline. This Zero was a failure."

"Don't call me that!"

"What!?" Chronos can't believe what he's seeing.

Aleph, who has just gathered another Sapphire, turns to look directly at Chronos. "You're next." Aleph punches straight through the "screen" that Chronos was watching him on, shattering it like glass. Through it, Aleph floats into Chronos' realm.

"In all my time, I have never seen something such as this. Fascinating…" Past his initial shock, Chronos sounds more curious than anything else.

"Fascinating!? Is that all you have to say!? I've come here for your power! I've come here to truly ascend to the godhood I am owed!"

A staff appears in Chronos' hand. "You are owed nothing." He swipes his staff, creating a blue shockwave that rips towards Aleph.

Aleph holds out a hand and freezes the shockwave in place.

"You froze my time? That's…not possible!" What was once calm and composed has turned to dismay.

The seven Chaos Emeralds and twelve Temporal Sapphires orbit around Aleph. "I have obtained infinite power. Nothing is impossible, not even the death of a god!" He dashes at Chronos at high speed.

"Freeze!" Chronos holds out an arm and freezes Aleph's time. Chronos breathes a sigh of relief.

It works for a moment, but Aleph suddenly jerks his head to look at Chronos. "Nah ah."

"How!?" He now sounds both panicked and frightened.

Aleph continues his strike and blows through Chronos, apparently causing significant damage and knocking his staff away.

"No…this isn't possible…" He reaches weakly for his staff.

Aleph kicks it further away. "I have killed every human across all of time in my timeline. But the Sapphires have spoken to me. They have told me all their secrets. There are other timelines. Other places where the wretched humans still thrive. My purpose is not complete until I have destroyed all of them. In every timeline. And for that, I need your power."

Chronos thrusts an arm forward in an attempt to attack Aleph, but Aleph freezes it.

"And now, witness the ultimate Chaos power!" He raises an arm upwards and the Chaos Emeralds orbit around it. They begin to glow intensely. An orb of energy forms above Aleph's upraised palm. A burst of light travels from the yellow emerald to the orb. Then shadows from the purple. Fire from the red, water from the blue, ice from the white, air from the cyan, and earth from the green. With each addition, the orb of energy grows larger and larger, until it's absolutely massive. "God Killer!" Over less than a second, the massive orb collapses down to just a few inches in diameter, creating a hyper-dense orb of black. "Chaos Smite!" He throws the tiny orb with all his might. It flies at Chronos like a bullet, creating monstrous shockwaves of intense energy as it travels.

Chronos' eyes widen as he sees his approaching death. The clock hands on Chronos' chest begin to wind backwards at a feverish pace. Just an inch away from striking Chronos, Aleph's attack returns to his hand, then unforms in reverse. Aleph then goes over all his previous actions in a rewound motion. Within seconds, he's backed out through the portal he came, and the screen repairs itself. Chronos grabs his staff and smashes it down on the screen, shattering it himself. The image of Aleph grows incoherent, turns to static, then fades away entirely.

Chronos pants, both from exertion and panic. "It is done. His timeline is erased. The timelines are safe… I am safe…" He collapses back, contemplating how close to his end he just came.

—–—

"Zero! Snap out of it!" Silver shouts.

Zero clenches his fists tightly as he struggles with himself. He closes his eyes, and when they open, they are blue again. The red aura fades. "I-I'm sorry…"

Silver shakes his head. "No, don't apologize, you just saved everyone."

Zero looks around and sees that Shino and the others are safe, and there's not a single phantom in sight. But then he sees the damage he caused to the village. "I still destroyed everything…"

Shino is helped up by Nocta. He says, "No, these buildings are nothing. The Hidden Village of the Shinobi Clan is made of the people who inhabit it, and you saved them. Besides, now that Ronin found the village, we need to relocate anyways."

Silver asks, "How did it feel? You know…"

Zero closes his eyes for a moment. "It felt…it felt good to be able to release all the anger I had pent up. I think it helped me to control Aleph."

Shino nods. "Exactly. You use the darkness, not the other way around."

Silver points out, "Now that you've finally calmed down, we have another problem we need to figure out. We're still trapped here with no Sapphires, and not enough Emeralds to create a space-time rift. How do we catch up with Mephiles?"

Shino states, "I was about to explain to Zero earlier, I have a way." He takes the purple Emerald back from Zero. "If you can tell me where in the future you want to go, I can send you there."

Zero says, "I think that if I meditate with the Chaos Emerald, I might be able to use my connection to the Temporal Sapphires to find one."

—–—

Zero and Silver stand over an intricate black drawing on the floor, a series of geometric patterns contained within a large circle.

Shino explains, "I can set the seal to expire around the time you need. The problem is, I can't control it exactly, so I'll have to send you early or risk overshooting. I'll make it as close as I can. I'll also set it so that it teleports you to roughly the location you need to be. Once again, it won't be exact."

Silver nods. "That's all we can ask of you. Thank you, for everything."

Shino nods back. "You two have helped me as much as I helped you. I now realize how foolish I was to abandon my friends. From this point on, we will finish off the warlords together, then the land—then I—will know true peace. Are you two ready?"

Zero nods. "We're ready. Thank you, Master Shino."

Silver looks to Ryu. "Never forget your friends, Ryu."

Ryu grins. "Same to you, Silver."

With the Chaos Emerald floating in front of him, Shino performs several hand-signs and shouts, "Sacred Ninjitsu Art: Demon's Seal!" He slams a hand down on to the ground.

The lines drawn on the ground begin to glow. A wall of light encompasses Silver and Zero. There's an intense flash. The two are gone.

To Be Continued…